Athletic undergarment

ABSTRACT

A unitary undergarment for primarily athletic usage comprising upper and lower body covering sections; there being sleeves of less than elbow length and legs for termination upwardly of the knees. Said garment contains a continuous central line of opening with non-rigid fastener means; belt sections extending across the front of said garment with interengaging means and stocking supports suspended from each belt section; a resilient insert being provided in the rear of said garment for conducing to freedom of movement with maintenance of a snug fit; ventilation means being provided in the underarm and crotch zones.

Imited States Patent 1 Martin et a1.

145! Oct. 2, 1973 1 ATHLETIC UNDERGARMENT 22 Filed: Dec. 8, 1971 211 App]. No.: 205,835

[52] U.S. C1 2/78 C [51] Int. Cl r A4lb 9/00 [58] Field of Search 2/78 C, 78 R, 78 A, 2/78 B, 78 D, 76, 79, 221, 237, DIG. 6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,098,960 6/1914 Morris 2/78 R 555,587 3/1896 Shauer 2/237 1,198,103 9/1916 Clausen 2/78 C 1,199,689 9/1916 Gewawdter... 2/78 D 1,191,369 7/1916 Topkis 2/78 C OTHER PUBLICATIONS Velcro Nylon Tape Fastener, Vogue Pattern Book, February March 1960.

Primary ExaminerH. Hampton Hunter Attorney-Ralph W. Kalish [57] ABSTRACT A unitary undergarment for primarily athletic usage comprising upper and lower body covering sections; there being sleeves of less than elbow length and legs for termination upwardly of the knees. Said garment contains a continuous central line of opening with nonrigid fastener means; belt sections extending across the front of said garment with interengaging means and stocking supports suspended from each belt section; a resilient insert being provided in the rear of said garment for conducing to freedom of movement with maintenance of a snug fit; ventilation means being provided in the underarm and crotch zones.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDBCT 2m 3.761.961

'INVENTORS MICHAEL F. MARTIN LORNE S. KEELER BY Q1, N. K

ATTORNEY ATHLETIC UNDERGARMENT BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to wearing apparel, and more particularly to an undergarment for use by athletes, especially hockey players.

It is indeed very conventional for athletes such as hockey players, football players, and others who must wear various types of protective padding to put on an undergarment which is designed to prevent direct contact of the pads with the wearers body, as well as to conduce to maintenance of the pads in appropriate position. Such undergarment also serves to absorb perspiration and thus to promote in general to the users comfort. However, to the present time such garments have been of a make-shift character with athletes individually attempting to modify the customary everyday long underwear or one and two piece pajamar type sleeping garments as of flannel and the like for such usage. Manifestly, such efforts have proved unsatifactory for a multiplicity of resons; among which being that the leg and arm portions of such garments must be shortened and usually with resulting frayed edges; normally buttons or like fasteners on such garments become dislodged and as in hockey fall upon the ice and create a severe hazard to the players as well as provide elements of potential injury to the wearer through impact. The lack of ventilation as through air openings in the underarm and crotch portions of such modified garments constitutes a source of potential severe discomfort to the wearers since all too often disabling rashes may be caused in the adjacent body zones through bacterial development within the generated perspiration. Additionally, with hockey players such garments do not provide an appropriate foundation for the usual garter belt which is worn snuggly about the waist for suspension of the heavy thigh-length stockings worn by such players. The maintenance of such belts in proper position is indeed difficult since the same tend to slide relatively of the make-do undergarment so that severe tightening is normally resorted to in an effort to prevent such slippage. There is also a problem with respect to fit since customarily the substitute garments do not appropriately hug the body and thus provide a certain undesired looseness with attendant discomfort.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an athletic undergarment which is adapted to provide a snug but comfortable fit for the wearer and which is appropriately provided with air vents to prevent rash-producing conditions to develop during the course of athletic endeavor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an article of wearing apparel of the type stated which is of unitary construction for ease of wear and removal and which is devoid of closures or fasteners which might normally constitute a potential hazard.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an article of wearing apparel of the type stated which incorporates resilient means so as to allow the athlete to be uninhibited in his movement while maintaining a close fit and which integrally embodies means for supporting the wearers stockings; there being an unusual coaction between such stocking supports and the resilient means so that the stockings are at all times maintained in proper wearing position regardless of the strenuousness of the body exertions.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an article of wearing apparel of the type stated which is adapted for utilization by athletes in numerous sports; which in usage conduces to maintenance of overlying protective padding in proper positions; which may be most economically produced; and which is durable during wear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front plan view of an athletic undergarment constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention; showing the same in wearing condition.

FIG. 2 is a rear plan view.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view taken from the left hand side of fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view taken from the left hand side of FIG. 1 illustrating the sleeve in raised position and the belt in unclasped state.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now by reference characters to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a unitary undergarment for use primarily by athletes and being illustrated herein, for purposes of example only, as adapted for wear by ice hockey players. Said garment A, which is of shoulder-to-above-the-knee in length, unitarily comprises front and rear sections 1, 2 which are secured on their vertical side edges, as by stitching, along side seams indicated at 3,3, respectively; said sections are contoured to define upper and lower body covering portions 4,5, respectively; there being an intermediate waist zone 6. Although front and rear sections 1, 2 may be designed in their shoulder portions to accommodate any well-known type of sleeve desired, the same, for illustration, are shown herein as being contoured for sewn engagement along seams, as at 7,7 to sleeves 8,8 of raglan design for allowing a freer arm movement. Said front and rear sections 1, 2 at their upper ends are shaped for cooperatively defining a neck opening 9, which may be of V-character or rounded design, as selected. Sleeves 8,8 are relatively short for termination upwardly of the wearer's elbows with the edges thereof constituting a finished hem for resisting fraying or tearing under stress. The upper inner portions of sleeves 8,8 and the confronting portions of front and rear sections 1,2 are provided with a multiplicity of openings or air vents, as at 10, the edges of which may be protected by eyelets (not shown). Lower body portion 5 embodies a pair of short legs 11,11 which terminate in their inner upper portions in a crotch-forming joint, as at 12; said legs 11,11 terminating as above indicated above the wearers knee and with their lower edges being appropriately trimmed, as at 13,13, for wear resistance.

Front section 1 is provided with a continuous line of opening 14 extending from neck 9 to a point downwardly of waist zone 6 and immediately upwardly of joint 12. The opposed edge portions 15,16 of line of opening 14 are detachably engageable by non-rigid fastening means such as the well-known Velcro fastener which is manufactured in the United States by American Velcro Incorporated whereby edge portion is provided with a pile fabric section 17 constituted of a plurality of small loops 18; and with edge portion 16 being cooperatively provided with a fabric section 19 composed of a plurality of small resilient hooks 20. With fabric sections 17,19 pressed surfacewise together, hooks 20 engage loops 18 to reliably secure the associated fabric sections 17,19 to each other for closing said line of opening. With the said fastener thus engaged, garment A will remain in a closed condition until the wearer parts the fabric sections 17, 19 as by mere pulling of the same away from each other with hooks 20 becoming momentarily deformed as the same are withdrawn from the erstwhile engaged loops 18. Said fastener is exemplary of related fastening means which obviate the conventional resort to buttons, metal fasteners, slide fasteners, and the like, all of which are fabricated of relatively hard material.

Downwardly of the lower end of line of opening 14 and on either side of the crotch-forming joint 12 legs 11,11 are provided with a plurality of openings or air vents, as at 21. As may best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 6 belt-sections 22,22 are engaged at their outer ends, as by stitching within side seams 3,3, respectively, within the waist zone 6 of garment A and for extension at their outer or free ends across the front of garment A toward line of opening 14. Said belt sections 22,22 may be of any suitable sturdy material such as cloth, as either natural or synthetic fibers may be used and being provided at their free ends with cooperative clasp elements as indicated at 23,23, respectively, so that the belt sections 22,22 may be securely interengaged. It is apparent that clasp elements 23,23 may be of any suitable design to assure to reliable joinder of said belt sections 22,22. Within seams 3,3, said belt sections are also directly connected as by stitching to the outer marginal portions 24,24 of a support panel inserted within rear section 2. of garment A, spanning the width thereof and being designed to incorporate central extension projecting into the upper back and lower back zones, as at 26,26. Said panel 25 is fabricated of any suitable rubberized material having desired elasticity for promoting a close fit of garment A upon the wearer but without movement-inhibiting effect since panel 25 provides ample give. It will be understood that the particular material of construction of panel 25 does not constitute a part of the present invention and that any conventional materials may be used therefor. It is to be particularly noted that belt sections 22,22 are connected to panel 25 so that the said belt sections are thus accorded a desired resiliency so that stresses applied thereon during wear may be transmitted to panel 25 thereby enhancing the supportive capacity of said belt sections.

Depending from each belt section 22,22 substantially intermediate their lengths is an elastic strap 27,27 which at their lower ends upwardly of joint 12 suitably carry fasteners 28,28 for engaging the upper end portions of stockings (not shown) as worn by hockey players. Said fasteners 28,28 are of conventional character having two cooperating elements for reliably gripping the stocking fabric. It is indeed apparent that a pair of such fasteners 28,28 may be carried upon each strap 27,27 for engaging the stocking at spaced points. lt will be observed that the stockings are directly supported from the belt sections 22,22 which latter are in turn anchored to garment A as well as united with panel 25. Thus belt sections 22,22 will be maintained in proper condition and not subjected to displacement as is customary with presently used garter belts.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that garment A embodies a multiplicity of attributes which obviate the various deficiencies in athletic undergarments which have heretofore been so long accpeted. Accordingly, it will be observed that garment A is of unitary construction and designed for comfortable yet close fitting, providing an appropriate foundation for the overlying protective padding while assuring of maintenance of the same in effective position. The absence of rigid fastener means such as buttons, slide fasteners, and the like for closure of line of opening 14 prevents injurious impact upon the wearer by such rigid members as well as eliminating the possibility that such fasteners may become loose and fall upon the playing surface, such as the ice, and thereby create a most hazardous condition to all players. The provision of air vents 10,21 are of extreme criticality in that appropriate breathing is thereby allowed so that perspiration developing in the adjacent body zones will be denied of the potential for bacterial development which has heretofore brought about distressing skin rashes, often leading to disabling of the player.

As brought out above, the integration of a stocking support with garment A constitutes a novel departure and thus relieves the individual athletes from utilizing independent garter belts which are resistant to being maintained in comfortable position as the same are readily displaced through forces acting upon the wearers stockings through exertions, thereby requiring continual readjustment. Additionally, the elastic panel 25 conduces to freedom of movement as well as to closeness of fit.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desired to obtain Letters Patent for is:

1. An undergarment for athletic wear having upper and lower body sections unitarily formed with an intermediate waist zone, sleeves extending from either side of said upper section, relatively short legs extending from said lower section, said upper section having a neck opening, there being a line of opening extending from said neck opening through said upper section and said lower section to a point spaced from said legs, means for interengaging the opposed edges of said line of opening for closure, said garment having front and rear sections interconnected along the vertical side edges of the same by side seams, a pair of cooperating belt sections having inner and outer ends, each belt sec tion being secured at its inner end within the adjacent side seam and with its outer or opposite end being normally free, cooperative fasteners provided on said belt section outer free ends for interengagement with the same, an elastic strap depending from each belt section terminating at its lower end upwardly of the lower end of the adjacent leg and stocking engaging members carried upon the lower end portions of each of said straps.

2. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said means for interengaging the opposed edges of said line of opening comprising a first fabric section secured to one of said edges and loops provided on said first fabric section, and a second fabric section provided on the other of said edges with hooks carried thereon.

5. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 8 and further characterized by openings provided adjacent the upper inner portion of each sleeve and adjacent the upper ends of said legs for ventilation purposes.

6. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said elastic panel at its intermediate portion extending upwardly and downwardly from the waist zone. 

1. An undergarment for athletic wear having upper and lower body sections unitarily formed with an intermediate waist zone, sleeves extending from either side of said upper section, relatively short legs extending from said lower section, said upper section having a neck opening, there being a line of opening extending from said neck opening through said upper section and said lower section to a point spaced from said legs, means for interengaging the opposed edges of said line of opening for closure, said garment having front and rear sections interconnected along the vertical side edges of the same by side seams, a pair of cooperating belt sections having inner and outer ends, each belt section being secured at its inner end within the adjacent side seam and with its outer or opposite end being normally free, cooperative fasteners provided on said belt section outer free ends for interengagement with the same, an elastic strap depending from each belt section terminating at its lower end upwardly of the lower end of the adjacent leg and stocking engaging members carried upon the lower end portions of each of said straps.
 2. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said means for interengaging the opposed edges of said line of opening comprising a first fabric section secured to one of said edges and loops provided on said first fabric section, and a second fabric section provided on the other of said edges with hooks carried thereon.
 3. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by an elastic panel being inserted within said rear section, said elastic panel having side portions connected within the adjacent side seam and being connected directly to the outer end of the adjacent belt section.
 4. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said legs being of less than knee length and said sleeves being of less than elbow length.
 5. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 8 and further characterized by openings provided adjacent the upper inner portion of each sleeve and adjacent the upper ends of said legs for ventilation purposes.
 6. An undergarment for athletic wear as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said elastic panel at its intermediate portion extending upwardly and downwarDly from the waist zone. 